Troubleshoot Problems with Flash on Digital Cameras

A photographer is likely to face problems with flash
on a digital camera at some point in his career. The flash on a camera
is an incredible tool for the photographer. It has the ability to
quickly add a light source to a shot, thus bringing up the images
exposure. It allows the user to take wonderful shots in low light
situations that would not be possible without it. But, that does not
mean that there aren't problems with using the flash.

Here are some basic trouble shooting tips to get the most out of your camera's flash.

Red Eye

Perhaps the most frequent flash problem is red eyes. Everyone has
experienced them at some point in their photos. Red eye happens because
the camera is capturing the light from the flash bouncing back out of
the subjects eyes. There are two ways to trouble shoot this problem.

One is a function called Red Eye Reduction. Our eyes compensate for
low light by dilating our pupils. This makes them larger than usual in
a situation that requires the flash, which means the area for potential
red eye is larger than normal. Red eye reduction works by emitting a
pre flash before the main one. This quick burst of light makes the
pupils contract and reduces the red eye area.

Another way to overcome red eye is to not shoot you subjects dead
on. If you shoot them at an angle, then there is less chance of the
flash light bouncing back at your lens, and that means less chance of
red eye occurring.

Blow Out

A camera flash works by quickly emitting a small but intense light.
This can sometimes cause the subject to appear blown out. If you're
suffering from this problem, then you can solve it by adding a little
distance between the subject and yourself. This should result in less
light hitting them, and the blow out problem will be solved.

The Light Is Too Harsh

Sometimes, you might find your camera flash producing more shadows
then you'd like. Depending on your camera, there are a couple of things
that you can do. You can either purchase a piece of plastic that clips
over the flash to diffuse it. Or, you might be able to get away with
covering it with a plastic shopping bag to soften the light. You can
also tilt the flash to make it bounce off a ceiling, although this will
reduce the output significantly. If neither option is possible, then
try to pose the subject in a manner that reduces the shadows.

Turn the Flash Off

The flash is designed to support the exposure of our images, but
sometimes it creates too many problems and the only option is to turn
it off. If you can't use the flash, then try to compensate by
increasing the ISO, shutter speed, or open the aperture as wide as
possible.